'It’s a kind of Rubik’s cube of orchestral possibilities. The title may suggest a ‘room of wonders’ but the fun part comes with the way in which magic casements open on to worlds beyond it.

Percussion – some of it tuned – is the engine room of the first movement propelling us forward until in one glorious moment a wholevista opens before us – a kind of Bluebeard’s Castle fifth door chord sequence – only to vanish into the ether as quickly as it arrived. And yes, before you ask, Elfman’s signature wordless childlike voices are briefly in the mix, too. The second movement takes us deeper, emotionally speaking, with mystical winds and then strings searching out higher ground, and the third is a whirling carousel of triple-time with solo piano alluding towards a salon-like decorum at one point. Collectively and soloistically the Royal LiverpoolPhilharmonic under the dynamic JoAnn Falletta get to enjoy second childhoods and show off as once the NYO so enthusiastically did.'
Gramophone (Edward Seckerson), June 2024